The United States recorded 68,212 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, according to Johns Hopkins University’s real-time count.

The figure brought the total number of cases in the country most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to 4,174,437, the Baltimore-based university said at 8:30 pm local time (0030 GMT Sunday).

In turn, another 1,067 deaths were reported, bringing the total deaths to 146,391.

Following a decline in the infection rate in the late spring, the United States has seen an expansion of the coronavirus pandemic, particularly in southern and western states such as California, Texas, Alabama and Florida. 

In the past 12 days, the number of new daily cases reported has always exceeded 60,000.

Scientists agree that the increase in infections is followed three or four weeks later by an increase in the death rate.

The daily death toll for the past four days has exceeded a thousand.

This Saturday, the state of Florida is the second most contagious SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in the United States after California, surpassing this Saturday with more than 414,000 cases since last March to New York, which accumulates more than 411,000, according to figures from state and federal authorities.

Confirmed cases of the infection in Florida increased this Saturday by 12,199 and deaths by 124 in the last 24 hours, making a total of 414,511 people infected and 5,894 deaths since last March 1.

The figures released this Saturday by the Florida Department of Health maintain the same trend as last week, exceeding 10,000 daily cases and 120 deaths.

The main focus of COVID-19 continues to be in the southeast of the state, in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, where the greatest restrictions remain in some cities, with curfews, fines for those who do not wear masks and permits to operate restaurants only at outdoor tables.